Every rose may have its thorn, but every student in attendance for Mt. Madonna Continuation School’s June 12 graduation ceremony blossomed.
Witnessed by loved ones who watched each petal grow, during this year’s Mt. Madonna commencement day Rose Ceremony students filed through the ampitheater aisles at Christmas Hill Park to hand-deliver their rose to a group of people that inspired them to graduate.
“We all know that high school is one crazy journey, and for a lot of us it wasn’t easy,” said student inspiration speaker Kisha Southy during her speech. “You can become the person you want to be—and do all those crazy things on your bucket list.”
Southy’s speech was yet another highlight of the graduation that brought together students and families of the students for an evening of inspiration and achievement, many of those students at-risk youth. The path was rocky, this getting old stuff is hard, but the goal remains the same: graduation, said the evening’s teacher inspirational speaker.
“Perfect?” said Comcast SportsNet’s 2014 All-Star Teacher, Mt. Madonna’s Rick Charvet. “Nah, but we drove out the haters, didn’t we?” he said, referring to those naysayers who would say otherwise to the prospect of graduating from high school.
Reminding students of the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete, proving nature’s laws wrong, Charvet said the flower “learned to walk without having feet … keeping its dreams, learning to breathe fresh air.”
Many outgoing graduates made decisions along the way, which may have set them back, but students overcame those obstacles, according to Southy.
“We all know that high school is one crazy journey,” Southy said. “And for a lot of us, it wasn’t easy.”
Southy encouraged students to look beyond the challenges to a future of opportunity and growth.
She told students, “No matter what we do or where we go, there will always be challenges ahead of us,” reminding those in attendance to continue to hold their heads up high.
Charvet echoed a similar sentiment.
“Every rose has its thorns, but each student has blossomed,” Charvet said. “We all bore witness to their lives that opened one petal at a time. Those of us who found our way around their prickly thorns now witness beautiful roses in full bloom.”
Mt. Madonna Continuation School scholarships/awards
ACSA GUSD Administrator Scholarship
Brayn Gallegos
AdvancePath Scholarship
Yolanda Darla Gracia
Clemente Rodriguez
Belin Nauss Art Scholarship
Yesenia Lopez
Cal-Soap $1,000 Scholarship
Miguel Beccerra
Sean Michael Merriman $1,000 Scholarship
Maria Pineda
Miguel Beccerra
Jassica Drake
Christian Arciga
Ashton Gaeta
Michelle Perez Hernandez
Alejandro Viveros Leon
Liliana Gonzalez
Awards
President’s Award for Citizenship
Alexander Felix Garcia
Angel Gomez
Juan Fuentes
Gabriel Jimenez
Brayn Gallegos
Anthony Foggio
Alberto Salinas
President’s Award for Academic Achievement
Naquelle Perez
Angela Padilla
Daisha Raven Johnson
Kisha Southy
Miranda Castillo
Ashton Gaeta
Jessica Drake
Gabriela Medina
President’s Award for Excellence
Nataly Infante
Elodia Benitez
Michelle Perez Hernandez
Haley May Picardel
Sitlali Flores
Yolanda Darla Gracia
Clemente Rodriguez
Community service 100-plus
Marissa Aguiniga
Reyna Beccerra
Anthony Fernandez
Lizette Martinez
David Pereyra
Dominic Ramirez
Kisha Southy
Military
Michelle Perez Hernandez
Rafael Perez
Matt Velho
